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ANOTHER match on the middle Saturday of the Australian Open
heavily hyped by a ratings hungry broadcaster. Controversy flying
about the star turn's supposedly wild behaviour.

Criticism of the conduct of his rowdy band of flag-waving fans
whose aggressive chanting is said to be, well, just not tennis.
Doubts about the star's fitness after he was forced to dig himself
out of an arduous five-set marathon in the previous round. The
heavy weight of favouritism in a match both the rankings and recent
form says he should win.

The script for tonight's centre court battle is almost achingly
familiar. Except, this time, the roles have been reversed.

For once, it will not be Lleyton Hewitt whose every movement is
under the microscope as he walks onto the Rod Laver Arena but his
opponent Marcos Baghdatis, the one-time crowd favourite who won
hearts, minds and a lot of free souvlakis on his way to the 2006
final and is now suddenly - perhaps ludicrously - cast in the role
of tournament bad boy.

Actually, as much as Baghdatis himself, it will be the conduct
of the Greek and Cypriot supporters, some of whom the 22-year-old
joined in bellowing anti-Turkish chants during a gathering in
Melbourne this time last year, that will be under scrutiny.

The extent of the anxiety created by Baghdatis' firewaving
YouTube performance was evident in the response of tournament
organisers yesterday when they refused pointblank to talk about
security arrangements or fears that local Turks would turn up
looking for a fight - always a sign that they have called for
reinforcements.

But for those who will come to watch the tennis rather than
engage in the juvenile ethnic points-scoring, the greater question
is how the extra attention and pressure created by the sudden media
firestorm will play on the still young Cypriot's mind as he takes
on Hewitt, a man who can smell uncertainty in an opponent in the
intuitive way Shane Warne could sense hesitancy in a batsman's
footwork.

Although he did not practise at Melbourne Park yesterday,
Baghdatis was nobly unrepentant about his video appearance - even
if it seemed to be more the consequence of his reputation as party,
rather than political, animal.

On a blog for the ATP website written before the video emerged,
Baghdatis wrote about how each year: "I catch up with the president
of my fan club, who I speak to a few times on the phone and meet
here. We rent a place after the tournament is finished and have a
barbecue each year. It's in a Greek caf with a yard out the
back."

But rather than a disingenuous apology about the anti-Turkish
chants or an attempt to downplay his allegiances, the Cypriot stuck
to his political guns.

"In that video from 2007 I was supporting the interest of my
country, Cyprus, while protesting against the situation that is not
recognised by the United Nations," his statement said.

"Now I would like to concentrate on the tournament and ask
everyone to respect that. I love the Australian Open and want to do
well here."

If that was not the sort of conciliatory response nervous
organisers wanted, it would not have surprised Patrick Mouratoglou,
the man who recruited the then-callow 13-year-old Cypriot for his
French tennis academy and has worked with Baghdatis as he was
transformed from a tearful, home-sick teenager.

While reluctant to talk about the controversy surrounding
Baghdatis's chanting  "For that he can speak himself" 
Mouratoglou was yesterday confident that the added attention he had
received would not distract him. On the contrary, he believes the
prospect of a packed centre court, a heaving crowd and a
notoriously hard-nosed opponent will create ideal conditions for
his man.

"That sort of match, on the big court, that's everything he
loves," said Mouratoglou, recalling the night Baghdatis pushed
Andre Agassi and 26,000 New Yorkers almost to the point of despair
in losing a tough match at the 2006 US Open. "That's the main
reason why he is playing tennis, to live that kind of moment."

If Baghdatis' politics are suddenly controversial, they are
hardly unexpected for a proud expatriate who would always find a
way to get back home from the Paris academy two weeks a year 
as much as his then-limited budget allowed  and who has
played Davis Cup from the age of 14, usually in a losing cause
given the absence of a partner with anything like his unusual
talent.

But a more pertinent part of his make-up tonight is how
Baghdatis thrives on tough matches as he did on his way to the
final here in 2006, when he won three five-setters. Rather than
sapping his strength, Mouratoglou is confident the five-setter
against Marat Safin on Thursday night will help him "dig into the
tournament".

Of course, Hewitt enjoys  or has enjoyed  a similar
reputation for loving a scrap. Baghdatis won the only previous
match between the pair in the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2006
 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2  although he plays down the
significance of that now-distant result.

"He started the match really bad," Baghdatis said. "It was a
very good fight at the end. I think he's at home. He's playing good
at the moment. He's confident. So I guess I just go on court and I
think I'll just try to find the solution on court."

While Baghdatis dodged the spotlight yesterday, Hewitt hit with
Davis Cup teammate Nathan Healy. If the critical reviews of his
erratic four-set win over Uzbek wildcard Denis Istomin were
anything to go by, Hewitt was desperately trying to recapture the
form that helped him rout another unknown, Belgian Steve Darcis, in
the first round.

In his second match, Hewitt was unable to engage the more
attacking game plan that has long been expected, particularly now
that he is working with veteran coach Tony Roche.

Rather, he seemed as vulnerable as he has in a barren two-year
period during which supporters have insisted his powers have been
diminished by wear and tear rather than an inability to compete
with ever more powerful opponents.

Hewitt is well aware tonight's match will be even more
difficult. He rates Baghdatis among the best ball-strikers in the
world, yet typically does not give ground, wondering if the Cypriot
can maintain his consistency.

It is the talk of the challenger. The underdog. That's what
Hewitt will be.

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